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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · patient · tube · leaves · wax · safe · kid · last

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wax — to grow
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. kid — child
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. tube — the underground
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. last — final
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. kid — to tease
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. tube — a container

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com